Helpful Material

Good Sense - Saving Time & Money

If your typical process of making changes to your website involves spending time manually editing web pages with Dreamweaver or Frontpage and uploading them from the office via FTP, stop the press.

There is a better way! You can save measurable time and money by using a web content management system.

A content management system (like the one I'm using to write this article), lets you use any web browser from anywhere, and a passworded web page, to add, edit, or delete information in any part of a database-driven website.

Why would a person want to do this? There are many advantages to a content management system (CMS) including the following:

• Content management and editing of your website can be shared by more than one person instead of relying only on the "gatekeeper" of your website (who will at times be unavailable to make all the important changes that are needed on the site as quickly as they are needed).
• Changes are instantaneous... the web browser makes changes to database records which display your changes immediately on your website.
• Changes can be made from anywhere with a web browser and internet access.
• The people editing and updating your website do not need to know html nor buy special software.
• New content that is posted to your site can be placed in a holding pattern until editorial decisionmakers have a chance to edit, approve and make visible new content elements on the site, with the simple click of a mouse.
• Your website is safe and backed up daily because all the new content is added to databases right on the webserver - you don't need to manage the responsibilities of your site's source files and backups, uploading and downloading and version control.
• The people closest to each type of content can make changes directly - for example, the Marketing department can update press releases while the HR department posts new job positions and reviews online applications while the Board members post the minutes from their meetings while the Sales department updates prices in the online catalog. No more filtering all web content changes through a 90's style lone ranger "webmaster" who usually can't keep up with everything.
• Everyone managing and editing portions of your site can do so from work, from home, or from Venezuela at any time of day or night.

Talk to Vivid Media about web content management systems that we can put in place to help you save time and money as you manage your website.